Category: Education

Senior journalism lecturer Dr Catherine Strong.

Media publicity as a tool for social justice

The Young Labour camp incident is still playing out in the news, as more information comes to light, but basically four 16-year-olds were at a political party weekend. On the surface it is laudable that such young Kiwis are interested and involved in national politics. Note that the title of the weekend was “Young” so they should have easily fit in.   

But, as evidenced by a smartphone video doing the rounds of social media, some of it was a rather drunken, raucous event. Perhaps someone was emulating the American politician who used to host booze filled parties, brags about cramming his hand down women’s pants, and ended up getting elected as United States President. I shudder to admit that role-modelling runs deep. 

But back to New Zealand where one of the 16-year-olds took the politically astute step of contacting the well-placed Labour Cabinet member Megan Woods to report the incident.  

That is when there was finally some action to indicate to the teens that this was not acceptable. Media publicity was the other tool of social justice. Wide publicity and screeds of public comment on the incident over the past few days gave power to the voice that says teens shouldn’t feel they are vulnerable every time they leave home. The media has been a great help to focus on everyday problems for teens.  

Victims now need the media to give them space

My plea to the media now, however, is to leave the teens alone and don’t try to interview them. Let them work through this unnerving experience in their own time and own way. There are enough other people commenting on the issue in the media, and some are very knowledgeable and helpful. These stories will help others in this situation, or even prevent a repeat incident. When they feel they are ready, then give them media space. 

Remember in 2015 when four women MPs stood up and reported their personal experience with sexual attacks and walked out of Parliament’s Debating Chambers? The then-PM John Key dismissed their action as an easy thing to do, saying all victims would like to have a public stand like that. Well there are thousands of women around New Zealand who can refute Key’s assertion and point out they don’t want the spotlight around an unfortunate event and would rather the spotlight be on the perpetrator.  

Even the NZ Police say that it often takes women months or years to get the strength to make a complaint to police. It’s not an easy step, it takes time to work out your priorities. 

And all of this reminds me of the Labour Party’s 2014 proposal for a new justice system to deal with rape cases. The basic idea was that a complaint would be heard in something like a tribunal where both sides are heard equally. This would differ remarkably from the current system, where the attacked woman is automatically considered the fabricator and has to undergo aggressive accusations by defence lawyers. This new tribunal proposal got the thumbs up from Labour, Greens and various outside justice activists. 

Perhaps this Youth Labour Camp will put that idea higher on the agenda.   

Dr Catherine Strong journalism studies coordinator at Massey University

New research suggests increasing vitamin D intake could reduce the symptoms of chronic inflammatory skin condition psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a relatively common condition, affecting an estimated two to four per cent of the population. It is characterised by reddened, raised, scaly patches of skin, which commonly occur on the elbows, knees and scalp but can affect any part of the body. Psoriasis can develop at any age and tends to be a lifelong condition.  For many people, it fluctuates in extent and severity, and can be challenging to manage despite the array of treatments on offer.

The Massey University study aimed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation improves psoriasis when compared with those taking placebo capsules. Dr Michelle Ingram, who conducted the research as part of her PhD in Nutritional Science says, “This study was partly motivated by observations that some people with psoriasis report a reduction in symptoms during the summer months, when vitamin D production in the skin is usually at its highest. Vitamin D incorporated into a cream or ointment is also a relatively effective treatment for psoriasis, yet no one had looked into whether vitamin D supplementation might be of similar benefit.”

The main findings of the study were inconclusive due to an unexpected increase in vitamin D levels in the placebo group, probably from sunlight. However, Dr Ingram says further analysis across data from the 101 participants in the study showed strong evidence of a link between higher levels of vitamin D and less severe psoriasis. 

“Interestingly, this relationship was only found in about two-thirds of our participants, suggesting that vitamin D may be beneficial for some people with psoriasis, yet make no difference for others. It was not clear from our data why there might have been a difference in response – understanding the variability of response to psoriasis treatments in general is a long-term challenge and one that future research will hopefully be able to address,” she says.

Associate Professor Pamela von Hurst, who supervised the research, says the cause of psoriasis remains relatively mysterious, and treating this disease has long been a source of great frustration for patients and the medical profession.

“The range of treatment options are varied, impact different people in various ways and many of the complexities of the disease are yet to be uncovered,” she says. “Research involving vitamin D supplementation also poses some challenges, as vitamin D levels are primarily influenced by sun exposure. However, the collective impact of psoriasis, which is undoubtedly significant, meant it was important to go ahead with this research. While we could not confirm whether vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for psoriasis per se, we have shown that increased vitamin D levels, which can be achieved through supplementation or sun exposure, are related to less severe psoriasis. This indicates that some people with psoriasis might see an improvement in their symptoms from taking a vitamin D supplement, particularly in the colder months,” Dr von Hurst says.

The study, funded by a Lottery Health Research grant, involved participants with varying degrees of psoriasis, (mild, moderate or severe) and showed statistically significant improvements in the group taking vitamin D supplements, as well as in the group taking placebos, over a one year period. There was also a statistically significant relationship between higher vitamin D levels and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score across the whole group of participants.

Oral vitamin D₃ supplementation for chronic plaque psoriasis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment last month. It was co-authored by Dr Michelle Ingram, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University, Dr Beatrix Jones, Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Dr Welma Stonehouse, Food and Nutrition Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Dr Paul Jarrett, , Professor Robert Scragg, University of Auckland, Owen Mugridge, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University and Associate Professor Pamela von Hurst, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University.

Dr Ralph Bathurst, leadership scholar at the Massey Business School.

Good leaders see what’s hidden in plain sight

Night School returns us to 1999 when Jack was still a military policeman. The so-called night school he is sent to turns out to be a briefing session, and Jack becomes part of a team of three operatives. His detective abilities and his ability to move freely in military bases around the world give him the right credentials for the job. 

This is where the story gets interesting. An American is selling a high-value item for $100 million to a group of Middle Eastern terrorists. But the team can’t figure out what could possibly be worth that much and yet be unidentified. Nothing of such high value could be hidden successfully without someone, somewhere, being in the know. 

It turns out to be as simple as a pair of trousers taken from army stores, yet as dangerous as a nuclear weapon falling into the wrong hands. Reacher’s pants are ex-army, yet because they were not part of an inventory, the army had no knowledge of their existence. As with the pants, so with the nuclear weapon: it had somehow been deleted from the official inventory, and therefore could easily change hands without anyone knowing. It was hiding in plain sight.

Here’s the thing about leadership. It’s about seeing what is actually there; knowing the world in all its uncomfortable complexities, rather than relying on second or third-hand stripped back versions. Leaders must grapple with everything they see and avoid the trap of ignoring issues in plain sight. 

Being able to see requires patient enquiry, and then determination to act, even though acting may mean going against official orders and protocols. This is the call to leadership that Reacher’s adventures inspire.

Learn about the Master of Advanced Leadership Practice

It began with a bus tour showcasing some of the University’s operations, which included the new Apple Innovation Orchard, BioLumic’s work with ultra-violet light at the Plant Growth Unit, and the Dairy 4 Plantain Programme. It ended with speeches at the Sir Geoffrey Peren building, where the plans for the school were unveiled.

Massey University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas spoke about the school’s past and how it aims to make further history.

“We believe we are a significant university in the global scene, we intend to grow that, we intend to make a difference to New Zealand, we intend to make a difference working in partnership with our stakeholders, our businesses, our communities and our governments. We aim to help drive the primary sector to being something we can all be proud of now and in years to come.”

Among the announcements were commitments to refresh the agriculture, horticulture and animal science degrees, as well as brokering further community engagement across all that the school does.

However, the biggest announcement on the day came from College of Sciences Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Ray Geor when he announced the Massey Agritech Partnership, a new Massey research centre.

“We have a reputation for innovative agritech developments and we plan to build on these with our latest research centre, Massey Agritech Partnership,” Professor Geor said. “The centre is about partnerships both within Massey and in working alongside industry. It brings together engineers, technologists, programmers and business analysts who generate ideas and work with businesses to find solutions.”

Professor Ian Yule leads the new centre and he is joined by post-harvest engineer Professor Andrew East, robotics expert Professor Johan Potgieter, and their respective teams. Initial projects will be in the areas of sensing and imaging, rapid data processing and modeling and simulation. The centre will focus on harnessing data for real-time decision making to predict pasture growth, yield and quality at proposed harvest times and to direct products to appropriate markets.

Dr Huub Kerckhoffs at the Apple Innovation Orchard.

New direction

However, the day was about more than just a new centre; it signalled new thinking and direction for the school. 

Head of school, Professor Peter Kemp spoke about Massey Agriculture and Massey Horticulture working together better to be more productive and to improve people’s well-being through innovation, but also through community engagement at all levels. 

“Massey Agriculture has a long and proud history of excellence in advancing knowledge in the primary industries and developing leaders, but it’s like all organisations, you can’t rest on your laurels. You have to move forward, there’s plenty of new challenges and to respond to those you have to change.”

“We’re taking a fresh approach to how we go about this at Massey. We believe innovation in how we do things will help create greater value. We know working together is what can really make a difference. We believe we can work together better, both within Massey and with our partners. We’ve been discussing what you think we need for the future and engaging more with our communities of interest for our degrees, what research we should be doing, and the technology developments and innovations we should focus on.”

The Fellowship, worth $10,000, is awarded to projects that seek solutions to animal problems, and present the opportunity to create change to the ultimate benefit of animals, people and the environment.

Dr Stockin, Director of the Coastal-Marine Research Group and Associate Investigator at the Animal Welfare and Bioethics Centre at Massey University, aims to develop a rule-based modelling technique to assess the likelihood of survivorship in refloated whales under different scenarios. As part of this fellowship, she will be investigating the human dynamic to these events by assessing public perception and attitudes before, during and after a whale stranding event.

“New Zealand has an international reputation not only for its high incidence of mass strandings, but also its degree of public engagement at such events. The public and media play a significant role, which can dramatically change the outcome of management decisions we see on beaches during emotive events such as a mass stranding” Dr Stockin says.

New Zealand experiences on average 2.4 mass strandings per annum, mostly occurring between November and February. Between Jan 1978 to Feb 2017, a total of 132 pilot whale mass stranding events occurred, involving an estimated 9,234 whales. Notably, 600 pilot whales beached themselves on Farewell Spit, near Golden Bay in February 2017, where over 400 were known to have died over the course of hours, days and in some cases, even weeks.

Dr Stockin says the aim of the overarching programme is to improve welfare by identifying as quickly as possible which whales have the best chance of survival, and to reduce welfare costs to those whales unlikely to survive. “Our aim is to forge synergies between animal welfare science and conservation practice, so that the efforts we make are based on science-derived assessment” said Dr Stockin.

Founder of the Fellowship Bob Kerridge, expressed his pleasure that this first award was being given to such a worthy recipient, and for such an important cause. 

“Humans have a great empathy and connection with whales, and the tragedy of their many strandings is one of the great mysteries of the ocean and one that has a major emotional impact on those who experience them”, he said.

 “It is our belief that Dr Stockin’s study will lead to a greater understanding and consequently more humane and effective management of whales in distress.”

Artificially intelligent systems that can clean the house, manage heating for cheaper power and provide surveillance of the family home are developing every day. So how far away are we from using these systems on the farm?

Massey engineers have been developing a screen-based prototype to help on the farm that could be used from anywhere – the home, the ute, even on an overseas holiday. Still in its early stages of development, the system involves users speaking to a computer-generated avatar, who answers farm-related questions and puts forward data-driven solutions based on the information it has.

The system is designed to tap into sensors on the farm that give real-time information to farm managers about what is happening. It can compare that to what has happened in the past, and recommend options for what to do next, based on the data available. The questions can be wide-ranging – from the levels of milk solids in the cow shed vats, how that compares to the same time last year, what’s the pasture cover and where everyone is currently located on the farm.

Professor Johan Potgieter of the Massey Agritech Partnership is leading the project, with Massey master’s student Hayden Wilson doing the development. The development team wants to know from farmers what they would use it for and how it could help them. They are keen to have farmers involved with the development.

The system will be able to absorb historical data from the farm and be capable of linking with on-farm systems to analyse data to help farmers make better informed decisions, as well as helping with the day-to-day running of the farm.

The tool is not just designed to optimise productivity, but every aspect of farm life, for example in the identification of animal illness. These may include spore count data on certain paddocks to let farmers know which paddocks might be contributing to facial eczema. The system would automatically flag these paddocks and let the farmer know so they can efficiently manage the farm based on the information the system provides.

Soy based meat.

Crickets and soy meat and coconut yoghurt?

Field Days crowds will also get the chance to try some plant-based proteins that Massey is developing, with some meat patties that look and taste like meat, but are made from soy. There is also yoghurt made from coconut milk and bread made from nut and cricket flour.

The Massey stand will be located in the Agriculture Pavilion.